Gig-worker: a person who works temporary jobs typically in the service sector as an independent contractor or freelancer : a worker in the gig economy. Gig workers have freedoms that most full-timers only dream of: setting their own hours, working from home, being their own bosses.
As I write this, I am sitting in the living room of what I deem a real live "Hobbit House", where I am currently dog-sitting for two adorable pups named Chester and Puck. The gig is pretty laid-back. I've been able to work out while simultaneously logging onto another one of my gigs (winks), see: playing double duty at the gig life, as well as shoot out some emails, work on a script, and create this blog all while working the 'normie' pay the bills job.
In my now way distant past, I held the normal 9-5 jobs, from being a full-fledged elementary teacher to working retail, while deep down the desire for flexibility and freedom in earning a living was a burning desire I yet felt comfortable expressing. Furthermore, the regular life of the 40 hour a week cycle proved to be a detriment to my mental health, resulting in the discovery of my bipolar diagnosis which put me on the journey towards recovery, finally proving ultimately that I am not made for the normal society approved employment.
The life of a gig-worker may look somewhat glamourous and desirable; in some ways it is quite enjoyable and I am beyond grateful that my life has, at last, led me to this means of thriving. But it was not easy and it did not come with several uphill journeys of struggle and suffering. Indeed, there can be a marked degree of sacrifice in the gig worker's world that may not be that of one who works the full time 9-5 shift at an established company.
Yes, we may have the flexibility of defining our own schedule, but what we have in freedom, we lack in definition; being our own bosses means that there is no one else is motivating us to work or telling us we have to, but ourselves. Then again, there is the flip side to this, being our own bosses means there is no one telling us to stop working, no alarm going off informing us the day is done, no punch card to hit time-out, no PTO to allow us the freedom to vacation or staycation; being our own bosses means that there is no one motivating us to rest, but ourselves.
In the very early days of my gig-worker's life, pre-Covid19 (you recall the Before Times?), the clients were scarce, gigs were few and far between, work was unstable and hard to obtain, life seemed more of an uphill battle than any thing mirroring enjoyment. So many times I asked myself why I had chosen this life, wondering if I should just throw in the towel and go for that 9-5, but something stopped me from accepting any position in the normal sphere of reality, some strength and abiding belief in myself, perhaps buried and unseen to myself, that fueled me forward in the pursuit of creating my own universe. This even when times were so very tough and I, not knowing, how the bills would be paid and always wondering when the next source of income would come down the pike.
Not so anymore. I find myself with a plethora of steady, increasing clients within the framework of the myriad of gigs I partake, whether it be modeling, to nannying, to pet-care, or whatever it may be, so that my income status has increased from below poverty to low income, a small step, yes, but significant in the boost of one's confidence. Also, I find myself in the black every month, seeing the slow increase of the savings as well as the slow decrease of the debt, followed by the rising of the credit score.
Yes, I know I'm a ways off from financial freedom but finally I feel comfortable within the confines of adult career life in that I feel responsible, an increasing sense of self sufficiency, and an end in sight when it comes to the debtor's prison I have found myself within for some time, but now feel as if I have discovered the key to my release.
Truth be told, my career path mirrors that of my emotional and mental health paths, in that, I have had to forage my way, throughout a myriad of conflicts (mostly that in my own mind), battling my way through to truly understanding what it means to be fully human, authentic and free. In the aptly called "Before Times", I felt shame for not living the normal life, having the 9-5, the 2.5 kids, the mortgaged house and garage, the retirement account, you know, the American Dream, as it were. Honestly, as much as I felt the shame from not submitting to the status quo, or the pity as seem as destitute in the eyes of family, friends, and society, I also felt the constant desire to break from the confining structures of social norms and choose the path less traveled.
Now, as we begin life in this post-covid reality, I recognize a shift in the understanding of 'gigworker' as acceptable and, even, admirable, perhaps even a certain type of normal. After experiencing a world wide pandemic, what is normal anyway?
The hustle of a gig worker's life may not be for all, but for me I live my employment as a sense of adventure, viewing it through the lens of the child-like wonder within my being, dutifully recording my work done in my TWO paper planners and inputting my income and outcome on my spreadsheet, which shows my monthly as well as yearly earnings and expenses. Thus, I have proven to myself capable of that which I always felt insufficient. That then might be the real value of the gig-worker's life, is the growth of one's own soul development and self love.
Making a living in this economy moving forward will not be what it once was, in our parents and grandparents lives, nor should it be. We as citizens of humanity should never cease to evolve past the confines of social dictates, recognize the dichotomy within us all, and, in that, never fail to seek out, find, and love our thrive.
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